We’ve learned to ask our phones for a lot: cab rides, dates, rooms to rent. Now, in Ottawa, you can add babysitters to that list.

DateNight, an app created by Elize Shirdel, a Toronto mother of two with a PhD in computation biology, connects parents with a curated roster of babysitters. Started in 2014, the app has already found Ottawa-area babysitters who are available to help parents with hectic lives.

“The problem is parents just don’t know enough babysitters,” said Shirdel. “I thought, ‘How could I make that easier?’”

Shirdel attends university job fairs to find prospective candidates for the service. Babysitters come from a variety of experiences, with many having backgrounds in early childhood education.

“They sign up and we interview them. They need two years of experience with kids and two childcare-related references.”

After indicating they need a babysitter, parents pick two or three potential sitters through the app, and interviews are then scheduled to happen in-home or over Skype. In Shirdel’s model, babysitters set their rates and can keep their privacy as well, deciding to release personal info on their terms.

What the DateNight app looks like on your phone.

“We’re doing a lot to even the playing field between babysitters and parents,” said Shirdel. “We don’t show babysitter pictures, which is a little controversial. We think you should pick your babysitter from their experience.”

The comparisons of DateNight to Uber are easy but not necessarily the most accurate. The convenience of being able to pay securely by credit card and schedule over the app are appealing features, but Shirdel feels the addition of the interview process makes a huge difference.

“It was a bit of a controversial idea when we first launched in Toronto,” said Shirdel. “We had people saying, ‘You want me to order a babysitter on an app? What sort of crazy person would use this service?’ That’s sort of the obvious first response.”

But because of the added vetting steps, parents can be completely informed about the person who will look after their kids. “We’re not picking their babysitter. We’re saying, ‘Here’s a short list of great candidates.’”

Shirdel’s inspiration was helping busy parents go out on dates. She initially tackled the problem from the angle of scheduling and finding more time but soon figured out options for supervising kids were very limited. She hopes the app will be a solution for those who don’t have babysitting contacts.

Shirdel said DateNight still has a lot to learn about the Ottawa market, but there are about 40 babysitters currently available in the city, waiting to be matched.

“Although they may be a little nervous to give DateNight a try, at first, parents are really excited and happy about how easy we’re making the process of finding a babysitter,” said Shirdel.

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